Gatun Lake, Panama

A short bus journey east of Colon, we headed for Lake Gatun and some wildlife spotting. We hopped on board some sit-on kayaks and headed out in to the lake. Once the largest man-made in the world, the Lake forms part of the Panama Canal crossing (although obviously not the bit we were on!). In glorious sunshine and 80% humidity, we headed out on the lake to look for howler monkeys, sloths and birds. Navigating tree stumps sticking out of the water, we drifted through beautiful scenery in the late afternoon sun. We were lucky enough to spot four howler monkeys, including two quite close up, some cormorants, a toucan and some other birds; sadly, no sloths. The water was a beautiful temperature, and with the sun going down and a slight breeze off the water the whole experience was stunning. On the way back, our lovely guide fed us with banana muffins on what became a christmas party bus with a rendition of Feliz Navidad under the coloured lights!Read more